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Grove City Grinds Out Win Over Fairview

Tagged under: District 10, Gameday Hub, News, pfn

| August 31, 2024

Grove City –  Grove City got defensive to earn a hard-fought 13-6 victory over Fairview Friday night at Forker Field.

Despite a 7:45 kickoff due to a lightning delay, the Eagles and Tigers did not fail to put on a show, as the game wasn’t decided until the final minutes.

“What a wild night, with the weather, delays, and everything that happened,” said Grove City head coach Sam Mowrey. “It’s a great night to make a memory. The boys did a great job battling the ups and downs. I’m super proud of them for how they stuck together, battled, and pulled out the win.”

With the late start and wet, rainy field, both teams had trouble holding on to the football and lost six combined fumbles on the evening.

“With the wet field, wet ball, and good sticks out there by the defenses with the shoulder pad on the ball, it pops out quickly, Mowrey said. “Both sides had a hard time holding onto the ball. We were able to get past those mistakes, and we did a much better job in the second half.”

Fairview took the football and ran 8:05 off the clock to begin the contest. It opened the scoring when Danny Lindenberger kicked a 24-yard field goal following a 16-play 74-yard drive.

Both teams traded turnovers of the succeeding two possessions, and both lost fumbles. Fairview was in a great position to pounce on the Eagles when Eli Pettit recovered a fumble at the Eagles’ 23-yard line. Jimmy Cooper recovered a fumble at the Grove City 6-yard line three plays later.

After forcing a punt, Fairview drove the football 27 yards before again losing a fumble at the Grove City 22-yard line.

Things would get even more bizarre as, on the next play, Jaxyn Wilson fumbled the ball at his 35-yard line, setting up Grove City’s first score.

Yes, you read that correctly. You should know the routine by now – Fairview drove to the Eagles’ 3-yard line when a fumbled snap allowed Nathan Greer to scoop and score from 93 yards out, putting Grove City ahead 6-3 following a blocked point after.

“Opportunistic, right time, right place,” said Mowrey. “That started with the defensive line clogging up that hole, and that caused some miscommunication between their quarterback and running back. We had a nice hit, and the ball popped out. Then Nathan was able to scoop it up and take advantage.”

If you count, that is five lost fumbles in the first half. Grove City took a 6-3 lead into the locker room. Fairview held a 33-14 advantage in total offensive plays in the half, but the turnovers rendered the ball control mute.

“I think our defense played pretty darn good tonight to only give up six to that great program, said Fairview head coach Mark Sobeleski. “I thought they battled and competed all night, which was good to see, but offensively, we were an absolute travesty. Our inability to make plays, flailing our arms up in the air at passes, very disappointed in a group that worked very hard this summer. We had opportunities to score touchdowns, but we couldn’t execute.”

Grove City extended their lead after the Tigers coughed the ball up for the fourth time at their 26-yard line with 6:07 to play in the third quarter.

The Eagles only needed three plays to capitalize, as Jaxyn Wilson, who got all three carries, scored on a 4-yard run.

“Our team played well,” Wilson said. “I can’t do it alone; I got teammates; our linemen played really well, and so did the rest of the team. We had a few turnovers early in the game, but we were able to fix it. We played well on defense, stepped up, and kept going.”

Wilson rushed for a game-high 132 yards on 23 carries, including 92 on 13 attempts in the second half.

“He did a great job,” Mowrey said. “He was more disappointed in himself in the first half, feeling like he had let his teammates down. In those moments, you have to be able to move forward and bounce back. That’s exactly what he did.”

Fairview responded and made it a one-score game with 54 ticks remaining in the third quarter when Lindenberger booted his second field from 37 yards out, pulling the Tigers to within 13-6 following a 13-play 48-yard drive.

The Tigers’ best opportunity to draw even came when Joey O’Reilly intercepted Drake Moore with 3:32 to play. With the penalty flag on the return, Fairview started the drive from their 45-yard line.

Vinny Campoli connected with Andrew Fox for a 13-yard gain into the Eagles’ territory. However, Fairview soon faced a fourth down, and Campoli’s pass down the near sideline to Robert Benford was incomplete. From there, Grove City ran out the clock.

For Fairview, Vinny Campoli rushed for a team-high 61 yards while completing 9-of-18 passes for 72 yards. Tyler Benford rushed for 37 yards on 11 carries.

“Neither the weather nor trip had any effect tonight, Sobeleski said. “I don’t think our kids are ready to compete against a hard-fought Grove City team. I just don’t think we were ready. When you come to the South, you better be buckled up, and I don’t think we matched them. Especially their defense; Grove City’s defense played phenomenal.”

Both schools are in action again next Friday as both hit the road, with the Tigers taking the short jaunt to Girard and Grove City to Titusville.

Game Highlights

Grove City 13 Fairview 6

Score by Quarters

Fairview – 3 0 3 0 – 6

Grove City – 0 6 7 0 – 13

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

F – Danny Lindenberger 24 yd field goal, 3:55 – 16-74

Second Quarter

GC – Nathan Greer 93 yd fumble return, (kick blocked), 5:51

Third Quarter

GC – Jaxyn Wilson 4 yd run, (Jonah Stucchio pat), 5:18 – 3-26

F – Lindenberger 37 yd field goal, 0:54 – 13-48

Individual Stats

Rushing: F – Vincent Campoli 13-61, Tyler Benford 11-37, Robert Benford 4-26, Joey O’Reilly 3-3, Robbie Chevalier 3-2, Brady King 2-5, Fox 1-21, Team 1-(-3). Totals: 38-152. GC – Jaxyon Wilson 23-132, McCreadie 4-10, Greer 2-10, Stucchio 4-20, Team 1-0. Totals: 34-172.

Receiving: F – Chevalier 2-22, Tyler Divecchio 1-9, Robert Benford 1-3, King 1-(-1), Tyler Benford 2-11, Andrew Fox 2-28. GC – Greer 2-15, Clayton Martin 2-9, Ta’Rel Richardson-Heasley 1-0.

Passing: F – Campoli 9-for-18, 72 yards. GC – Lucas McCreadie 1-for-2, 12 yards, Drake Moore 4-for-6, 12 yards, 1 INT.

Interceptions: F – Joey O’Reilly.

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